The focus of this years Colloquium: Better Knowledge for Better Health|Un meilleur savoir pour une meilleure santé is on how evidence informs health care decisions at every level  from patient to practitioner, to institutional or government policy-maker.

Plenary sessions will feature international experts addressing the following topics:

20 years of better knowledge for better health
Better knowledge for better health: decision-makers perspectives
Better knowledge for better health: global health and equity perspectives
The next 20 years of better knowledge
In addition, we will offer special sessions on specific topics, including:

Wikipedia and transferring health information
Patients, evidence production and its use
Evidence for policy-makers
The French Connection: the work of Cochrane for francophones
Systematic reviews and guideline development
Better Knowledge for Better Health|Un meilleur savoir pour une meilleure santé will commence on Friday, 20 September 2013 with the opening ceremony and first plenary session and end on Monday, 23 September. In addition to an excellent scientific program, we will offer a superb social program with opportunities to network and meet new and existing colleagues from around the world. Please note the Welcome Reception will take place on the evening of Thursday, 19 September.

In 1900, for every 1000 babies born in the United States, 100 would die before their first birthday, often due to infectious diseases. Today, vaccines exist for many viral and bacterial diseases. The cornerstone of the vaccine safety system in the United States is the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act. This legislation was intended to bolster vaccine research and development through federal coordination of vaccine initiatives, and by providing relief to vaccine manufacturers facing financial burdens. A key component of the legislation required the Department of Health and Human Services to collaborate with the Institute of Medicine to assess concerns about the safety of vaccines and potential adverse effects, especially in children.

The Adverse Effects of Vaccines reviews the epidemiological, clinical, and biological evidence regarding adverse health effects associated with specific vaccines covered by the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program including varicella zoster vaccine, influenza vaccines, hepatitis B vaccine, and the human papillomavirus vaccine, among others. For each possible adverse event, the report reviews prior studies, summarizes their findings, and evaluates the epidemiological evidence. It finds that while no vaccine is 100% safe, very few adverse events are shown to be caused by vaccines.

In addition, the evidence shows that vaccines do not cause several conditions of recent concern. For example, the MMR vaccine is not associated with autism or childhood diabetes. The DTaP vaccine is also not associated with diabetes and the influenza vaccine given as a shot does not exacerbate asthma. The Adverse Effects of Vaccines will be of special interest to the National Vaccine Program Office, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vaccine safety researchers and manufacturers, parents, caregivers, and health professionals in the private and public sectors.